Friday 7 September 2018

Apple and Blackberry Crumble.



Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

It's time for our first hot pudding of the season!
Because even though Autumn doesn't officially start until September 23rd, for me it has begun.
As soon as September 1st rolled around, I was in full Autumn mode and in the mood for all the hot, cozy food.

Autumn is my favourite season of them all. I love that the days are getting shorter and the nights are closing in on us. The weather here is cooler and the heating is finally on. Children have gone back to school which for me is always a sign of Autumn and crisper days to come. The only wait now is for the leaves to turn from green to golden, and we are in business.
Nothing feels more autumnal than apples. We don't actually have a proper apple tree in the garden but are always gifted homegrown apples by friends and family at this time of year. It, along with the return of Bake Off, is the biggest sign of Autumn for me every year.
Today's crumble was made with those same apples gifted to us by my cousin's mother-in-law. I've wanted to bake an apple and blackberry crumble for ages and this year, have finally gotten round to it. The recipe is slightly different to a traditional one in that the crumble is baked separately at the beginning to ensure it stays crispy and crumbly at the end. An extra step in an otherwise easy recipe but one that I promise will be worth it.

Crumble, previously: strawberries and cream with brown butter biscuit crumble // my mums apple crumble // toffee apple crumble // pear, cranberry and gingernut biscuit crumble

A Simple List of Ingredients:


For the Crumble:
1. Plain Flour
2. Caster Sugar
3. Butter

For the Apple and Blackberry Filling:
1. Green Apples
2. Butter
3. Demerara Sugar
4. Blackberries
5. Ground Cinnamon

Bismillah, let's begin!

Get the oven on to Gas Mark 5 or 190C. The crumble begins with the crumble topping. Into a bowl, place 120g Plain Flour.

Pour in 60g Caster Sugar.

And, add in 60g Butter, cubed and at room temperature.

Rub this mixture together with your fingertips until you have a light breadcrumb texture with a few big chunks here and there.

And now, here is where this crumble recipe is slightly different from traditional ones. Usually, we make the filling and top it with crumble before baking. But today, we'll bake the crumble separately first before adding to the filling later. I was a bit unsure about this method but guys, it really works. Baking the crumble separately helps to keep it extra crunchy. You have to trust me on this one!

Put the crumble in an even layer on a baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes at 190C until the crumble is lightly golden.

Like this! Set the crumble aside until needed.

Next, the apple and blackberry filling. Start by peeling, coring and chopping apples.

Weigh them until you have 300g chopped Apples. The apples should be chopped into a rough 2cm dice. 

To cook the filling, place 30g Butter and 30g Demerara Sugar in a saucepan over medium heat.

Cook until the butter and sugar form a light caramel - around 3 minutes.

Stir in the chopped apples and cook for 3 minutes.

Add in 115g Blackberries. You can use fresh or frozen - I used frozen. They're cheaper and usually in stock unlike their fresh counterparts.

Finally, add in 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon.

Stir and cook for a further 3 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let the mixture sit in the pan for 3 minutes.

Look at that beautiful colour!

It's time to bake our whole crumble so let's get out a dish. I used this 26cm oblong pie dish to bake mine. The crumble is a small one enough for 4 people but you can always double or triple the recipe as needed.

Make sure the oven is still on at Gas Mark 5 or 190C. Put all the apple filling into the baking dish.

And, finish by spooning the crunchy crumble over the apples.

Bake the crumble for 10 minutes until the top is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling.

Serve the crumble piping hot with custard or vanilla ice cream!

There is nothing more autumnal than a hot crumble. With this one, the filling is lovely and juicy at the bottom but because we pre-baked the crumble topping, it remains crunchy and well, a crumble!

But fear not! I know there are some of who, myself included, who like some of the filling and the crumble to have almost joined together in the middle. This crumble still does that even though the top is crunchy!

And, I love the colour! All natural thanks to our wonderful blackberries.

Pour on the hot custard. This one is from a carton and heated up in the microwave.

The best way to warm up on a cold September evening.

This crumble makes enough for four. Feel free to double as you see fit.

Apple and Blackberry Crumble.

an English autumnal favourite.

Prep Time: About 30 minutes.
Cook Time: About 35 minutes.
Serves: About 4 people.

Ingredients

For the Crumble
120g Plain Flour
60g Caster Sugar
60g Butter, cubed and at room temperature

For the Apple and Blackberry Filling
300g peeled and chopped Green Apples (chop then weigh)
30g Butter
30g Demerara Sugar
115g Blackberries (fresh or frozen)
1/4 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

To Serve
Hot Custard

Bake the crumble:
Put the oven onto Gas Mark 5 or 190C. Put the flour, sugar and butter in a bowl. Rub with your fingertips until you have a light breadcrumb texture. Put the mixture onto a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden. Set aside until needed and leave the oven on.

Cook the apple and blackberry filling:
Peel, core and chop the apples into roughly 2cm dice. Weigh them to get 300g. Put the butter and sugar in a pan and cook until you have a light caramel - around 3 minutes. Add the apples and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the blackberries and cinnamon before cooking for 3 minutes. Take off the heat and let them mixture sit in the warm pan for 3 minutes.

Assemble and bake the crumble:
Put the apple mixture into a medium oven dish - mine was a 26cm oblong pie dish. Spoon the crumble mixture evenly oven the top. Bake for 10 minutes at Gas Mark 5 or 190C until the crumble is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling.

Serve:
Serve the crumble hot with hot custard or vanilla ice cream!

{adapted from bbc good food}

Keep me in your duas please, and enjoy your crumble!

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!


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